Union Saint-Gilloise – Leverkusen

A more classy club from Germany will advance to the tournament semi-finals

There were no illusions in Leverkusen ahead of the first leg of this Europa League quarter-final clash. Having returned to the European map last season, Union Saint-Gillois first made waves on the domestic scene, finishing second in the top flight, and are now stirring up the footballing public with their success at the continental level. Having qualified for the Champions League last season, the Belgian club won a solid group with Braga and Union Berlin in the group stage, and in the 1/8 finals, they once again confirmed their superiority over the team from the German capital. In Leverkusen, Union St-Gillois expectedly opted for a defensive style of play, which brought them success in the 51st minute when the Belgians took the lead after a Boniface strike. Bayer's confident play in the remainder of the game allowed the Magpies to level the scores thanks to the efforts of Wirz and Azmoun on 82 minutes. According to bookmakers, the German club remain the favourites to advance to the semi-finals at odds of 1.53. Union Saint-Gillois are currently second in the national championship, two points behind Genk. In 2023, the Belgian vice-champion shows a stable level of play, which was subject to only one mini-break. It occurred in late February and early March, when the team recorded three straight league and cup failures. Bayer have been feverish since the start of the season, when they had to get out of the Bundesliga relegation zone. Now the Pharmacists have made progress on both football fronts. In the Europa League, the Leverkusen club, given Bayern's current position in the Champions League, have a chance of remaining Germany's last representative on the European football stage. In the Bundesliga, Xabi Alonso's side have been beating opponents one by one, not too far behind in the Champions League zone. Bayer's last defeat was in mid-February, after which the team played well, including beating Bayern and Eintracht. It's a good bet that the German side will clinch a trip to the semi-finals in Belgium.